22 Container Gardens That Will Make You Want to Start Gardening

Richard Felber
1 of 22 Ngoc Minh Ngo

To grow vegetables in containers, look for varieties with words like bush, baby, dwarf, tiny, midget, and patio in their names. They are bred to be compact.


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2 of 22 Richard Felber

Before heading to the nursery, study the area you’ve picked for your container garden―is it sunny? shady?―and then find plants that will flourish in those conditions.


3 of 22 Ngoc Minh Ngo

Terra-cotta pots are ideal for container plants because their porous walls let air and water move easily through, so roots grow healthily.


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4 of 22 Ngoc Minh Ngo

An assortment of herbs can be planted in one pot, so long as their care requirements are compatible.


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5 of 22 Aimee Herring

Potted plants flanking an entry door are warm and welcoming.


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6 of 22 Richard Felber

Place a large pot in the center of a display, accented with smaller pots for balance.


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7 of 22 Richard Felber

Create a “centerpiece” for your porch by grouping varieties of the same species planted in similar pots.


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8 of 22 Richard Felber

Matching pots planted with ornamental grass lend drama to a driveway or path.


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9 of 22 Richard Felber

Use potted plants to define an outdoor space: Here, they separate patio from lawn.


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10 of 22 Mark Lund

Ceramic pots are porous, allowing roots to breathe, and a glazed finish helps conserve moisture.


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11 of 22 Richard Felber

Mounted plants cheer up a bare wall. Hang an even number for a formal look, an odd number for a more relaxed feel.


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12 of 22 Richard Felber

For an especially easy hanging garden, try mini petunias: They never need deadheading, and they thrive in sun or a mix of sun and shade.


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13 of 22 Beatriz Da Costa

An old birdbath makes a perfect new home for shallow-rooted succulents.


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14 of 22 Minh & Wass

Create an oasis in your yard by arranging potted plants into a sheltering screen.


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15 of 22 Mark Lund

When potting ivy, make sure the containers have enough depth to allow for proper drainage.


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16 of 22 Ellen Silverman

During the winter, you can force bulbs to bloom indoors (like the Christmas Pearl grape hyacinths shown here), then replant outside come spring.


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17 of 22 Ellen Silverman

Pungently fragrant paperwhite narcissus are easy to coax into bloom indoors. Use tall containers with no drainage holes.


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18 of 22 Lisa Hubbard

A terrarium―which lets greens live in a self-sufficient environment―is a no-fuss way to garden.


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19 of 22 Lisa Hubbard

A humidity-loving tropical houseplant, such as a maidenhair fern or a flame violet, will thrive in a bell-jar terrarium.


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20 of 22 Ellen Silverman

Planted in a ceramic pitcher (drilled to add drainage holes), purple shamrock makes the tiniest indoor container garden.


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21 of 22 Wendell T. Webber

A tangle of roots exposed in a glass cylinder can be just as eye-catching as the leaves above.


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22 of 22 Ngoc Minh Ngo

Always empty saucers after you water plants: Letting pots sit in water can damage roots.


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